Head-rest.



F. RITTER.

l HEAD REST.

APPLIGATIUN FILED 1111.12, 1910.

1,654,033e Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

UNITED STATES FRANK RITTER, F ROCHESTER. NEW YORK.

HEAD-REST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentes Feb. 25,1913..

Application ledJaiiuai-y 12, 1910. Serial No. 537,634.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK RITTER, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and .useful Improvements in Head- RESS; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a Apart of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon. y l

My present invention relates to furniture and more particularly to chairs and other articles thereof which employ head rests, either fixed 'or detachable, and it has for its object to provide a head rest which will be particularly7 adapted for use in connection with barbers or dentists chairs.

The improvements are directed in part toward producing a rest that will besiinply constructed, reducing the oost of production, yet durable and which will be comfortable in use, readily accommodating itself to both the pressure exerted by and the position of the occupants head.

To these and other ends the invention consiste in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more' fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claim atthe end of the specification.

' In the drawings: Figureyl is a top plan view of a head rest constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention, the attachment. being shown by means of which it is in the present instance adjustably connected to the chair or other support; Fig. 2 is a central horizontal section therethrough; Fig.` 3 is a detail perspective view of the base or body block and the headsupporting 'frame with their means of connection; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the same parts with the inner covering in place and showing the means of attaching the latter to the frame, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustratingf the manner in which the partially completed rest lof Fig. 4 is linclosed within the outer coverin i Similar reei'ence numerals throughout the several figures indicate the saine parts.

In addition to the head rest proper,. as illustrated in the present instance, the jointed connection indicated generally by i and embodying the attaching clamp 2 to receive the supporting rod on the chair back .against which latter it'is tightened the hand wheel 3 is also sho-wn, and com rises e plate 4 that is screwed or otherwise suitably fastened at 6 to a body block or'member T forming the base of the head rest proper.

Arranged opposite the body .member 7 is a head supporting frame 8 that isprefei'abiv ot approximately the same shape, though slightly greater in sizevl@ prefer to .ccnstruct lt-Of sheet metal with 'a 'rearwardly turned marginal4 liange 9 and a relatively large concentrically arranged opening i0.v

Interposed between the frame and bOdV member 1s a single helical spiral Spring 1i. the smaller end of which is secured at. 12 to the forward face ofthe body member While the'larger end rests against the raine to encircle the opening 10 'therein and ,as a convenient means of securing it in such position I provide attached lugs .or ears 13 on the frame made up from portions 0f the sheet material displaced in the formation of the central opening 10. The axis of gen` eration of the spring is concentric with reference to the opening. It will be noted that by this construction the relative move,- mentl of the frame and body member is rendered practically luniversal within certain limits, that is the member 7 being considered stationary, the head supporting frame can tilt at'any angle when pressure is ap lied at-any point about its rim-whileA the resi ient' quality of the support it o tfers 1s not iIl any wayy impaired. The spring is preferably normally held under compression y'and the general disposition of the parts just described is maintained by an inner coverin 14 of iiexible material, suoli as cotton shea ing, that is stretched across the o eiiiag 1'0 and has its free ends or marginaV portions suitably secured to the body member 7 as clearly shown in Fig.. 4.- A cord 15 Wound spirally about the frame and passed through the cover 14 binds the latter to the frame which is thus in a measure held in place in alinement with the body member againsttendencies toward lateral displacement. In addition to this, this fastening holds the material -of the covering stretched across the opening 10 to form a soft and yielding backing for the padded cushion, to be later referred to, and prevents the covering from drawing back and forth about the frame to any considerable extent when the spring is compressed and the frame moved against the lbody member. There is considerable differ` manner.

ence between securing the inner covering by an anchor cord and connecting, or riveting it, or otherwise rigidly connecting said covering to ythe head rest frame, ,asf the cord permits a limited `moveme`nt of .the

`fabricrelatiyely to the'edge of the frame,

in one directionl when the Spring is compressed and in the other directionl as it eX.- pands.. During the compression of the spring the fabric moves slightly into vthe 'central depression of the frame to add to the elasticity of the pad as awhole. When the frame is in its normal position the fabric is stretched `tight'over the fra-me aperture to restore the pad to its normal rounded con dition. The inner covering is held in this position byvreason .of the tensionv of the spring which is normally attempting to move 'the head rest frame away from the body block, and consequently stretches. the.

side or edge portions 14 causing them to be drawn tight.

A. hair or other suitably padded cushion 16 is superposedupon the frame ,8 to extend across the opening 10, beingsuPPorted and held in place by the inner coverlng 1lil and an outer covering 17 substantially like the inner one vand preferably secured in the vsame -St'ill'another outer *covering` 18, preferably of leather or some similar material of good appearance and calculated' to properly withstand the wear is provided, whichfollows, in extent, the other coverings butalso hides the rear face of the body member 7. To thisend it is preferably formed asshown in F ig.5 with crimps or plaits 19 date ,these raw edges iny their hunched condition.`

Attention is called the fact that by virtenaces tue of the construction shown and described the cushion 16 is backed up to form a soft ysupport by the material lot' the cover 14 vstretched across the opening 10 while the whole frame in turn is supported by the spring, and as the latter surrounds'but does not extend across the opening it can in no event project therethrough nor come in contact with the cushion should the latter sag through the opening a trifle. A further advantage attributed to the arrangement of the outer covering lies in the fact that its edges are adjustable in rear of the body memberv by means of the shirring string which permitsv the cover'to be drawn more or less'tightly to compress ythe spring or yielding support of theouter or head member thereby fixing or determining, the hardness or flexibility ofthe head rest as a whole. lt will also be noticed that the screws or securing devices 6 pass through the edges of ythe outer covering, outside of the shirring string,f and. assistthe flange 5 to rmly secure `the edges of the covering and prevent. their accidental withdrawal. Al claim as vmy invention: t

In a head rest, the v,combinationv with a body block, a head'supporting frame located in front of the body block having a central opening and a helical spring interposed'between said members, of a iexible cover stretched across the opening vin the frame and over the side edges thereof and attached e to the body member, an" anchor 4cord movably holding the cover in vposition with reference tothe frame permitting it to slip inwardly over the edge ofthe frame to allow its center portiony toyield.` when pressure is applied thereto, said anchor cord also permitting thematerial to be drawn across the frame to iatte'n its central portion when the spring is released and "moves they frame away from the body block.

FRANK RITTER.

Witnesses:

CHARLES W. FERTIG,

`WILLARD lR'IoH. 

